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Asia – Specialist communications professionals in high demand

29 October 2014

Corporate expansion plans and a greater focus on staff retention are driving demand for niche communications professionals across Asia, according to The Pulse, a study produced by interim management specialists VMA Group.

The report found that the number of specialist internal communications (IC) professionals has risen in the last year, as companies look to retain top talent and maintain a competitive position.

According to the latest data, this function has become much more important, with more than half (59%) of respondents stating that they belong to a dedicated IC team within their company, and nearly half (45%) seeing themselves as specialists working primarily on internal communications. A third of respondents reported that they now operate in a standalone IC function.

Katrina Andrews, Director of VMA Group Asia-Pacific, commented: “Organisations across Asia are looking to increase staff retention and engagement and internal communications teams will play a huge role in achieving this. It’s encouraging to see the rise in standalone IC functions. As any communications expert will recognise, employees require a different engagement strategy than other audiences, so this growth of dedicated resources shows a real commitment from businesses in the area to better communicate with internal stakeholders.”

The research also revealed that there has been a growth in PR Agencies over the last 12 months. In last year’s report 69% predicted that consultancies would grow in 2014. The latest results revealed that these expectations have been met, with this group experiencing the biggest rise in teams for 2014. Interestingly 70% of respondents are now predicting a further rise in 2015.

Ms Andrews explained: “With the economy in Asia continuously strengthening, many businesses are now investing in a PR agency to support company growth, so it’s perhaps unsurprising to see the number of PR agencies increasing. The predicted rise is an encouraging reflection of the positivity expected over the next year.”